TVs & Home Theater
TVs and home theater
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A TV or sound system stays put for 7 to 10 years, so size it for your seat and room, and pick a soundbar or receiver you can add speakers to later.
Featured models
Best picture for dark rooms and movie nights
LG 65" C5 OLED evo (OLED65C5PUA)
65 in 4K OLED TV (2025) · Self-lit OLED, Dolby Vision, 0.1 ms response · Also 42, 48, 55, 77 and 83 in
Typical price: About $1,300–$1,400 at Walmart (LG list $1,499.99)
See price at WalmartBest for bright rooms and daytime sports
TCL 65" QM8K QD-Mini LED (65QM8K)
65 in 4K Mini LED TV (2025) · QD-Mini LED, up to 3,800 dimming zones (series max), HDR5000 rating · Also 75, 85 and 98 in
Typical price: About $1,100–$1,300 at Walmart (Best Buy $1,099–$1,299)
See price at WalmartBest one-box upgrade over TV speakers
Sonos Arc Ultra
Dolby Atmos soundbar · n/a (audio) · 9.1.4 spatial audio; add Sub 4 and rears later
Typical price: About $900–$1,100 at Walmart (list $1,099)
See price at WalmartBest start for a speaker system that can grow
Denon AVR-X1800H
7.2-channel 8K AV receiver · 8K HDMI passthrough, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ · 7.2 or 5.2.2 Atmos; Denon says small to medium rooms
Typical price: About $750–$850 (Walmart $749; Denon list $849)
See price at WalmartBest way to go past 100 inches
Epson Home Cinema 2350 (V11HA73020)
4K PRO-UHD 3LCD smart projector · 4K PRO-UHD (pixel-shift), HDR10/HLG, 2,800 lumens color and white · 40–500 in image; throw ratio 1.32–2.15
Typical price: About $1,260–$1,500 (Walmart $1,259; Epson $1,499.99)
See Home Cinema 2350 at EpsonSpecs from each maker's product page; prices are typical ranges seen in October 2026 and change often.
Buy right once: Size the screen to your seating distance and your room's light. Choose audio you can expand when you move or finish the basement.
Before you buy, check:
- Seat-to-screen distance and wall width
- Daylight in the room (OLED for dark, Mini LED for bright)
- Whether you can run speaker wire
Product types
OLED TVs
Self-lit pixels for true black; best in dim rooms.
Example: LG 65" C5, about $1,300–$1,400
Mini LED TVs
Very bright backlight with local dimming; best in sunny rooms.
Example: TCL 65" QM8K, about $1,100–$1,300
Soundbars
One cable to the TV; add a sub and rears later.
Example: Sonos Arc Ultra, about $900–$1,100
AV receivers and speakers
Separate speakers you can upgrade one pair at a time.
Example: Denon AVR-X1800H, about $750–$850
Projectors
The cheapest way past 100 inches in a dim room.
Example: Epson Home Cinema 2350, about $1,260–$1,500
Buying guides
Buying guide
TV and home theater buying guide: OLED vs Mini LED, soundbar vs receiver, projectors
Screen size by distance, picture tech by room, audio setups, wall mounting and what lasts.
Sizing tools
TV size by viewing distance
How big a screen fills the view from your seat, using the SMPTE and THX viewing-angle targets.
How it works: Screen width = 2 × distance × tan(angle ÷ 2); a 16:9 screen's diagonal = width ÷ 0.872. SMPTE suggests at least a 30° angle for a mixed-use room and THX about 40° for a cinema feel.
Estimate only; confirm with your installer or the manufacturer.
Sources for this tool
TV wall and mount fit check
Will the TV fit the wall, and how high should it go?
How it works: A 16:9 TV is about 0.872 × its diagonal wide and 0.49 × tall. A common rule of thumb puts the middle of the screen near seated eye height; the largest size shown leaves 6 in of wall on each side.
Estimate only; confirm with your installer or the manufacturer.
Sources for this tool
Soundbar or speaker system? (room size)
Match the audio setup to the room and to whether you can run speaker wire.
How it works: A single-cable soundbar avoids running wire; a receiver with separate speakers scales up. Denon describes the AVR-X1800H as filling small to medium rooms in 7.2 or 5.2.2.
Estimate only; confirm with your installer or the manufacturer.
Sources for this tool
Projector screen size and throw distance
Check whether a screen size works from where the projector can sit (Epson Home Cinema 2350 throw ratio).
How it works: Throw distance = image width × throw ratio. The Home Cinema 2350's zoom covers ratios 1.32 to 2.15, so the image width at any distance is distance ÷ 2.15 to distance ÷ 1.32.
Estimate only; confirm with your installer or the manufacturer.